The Hunt for Jhin
by Hikari Murasaki
Summary: Zed is determined to put a stop to the Virtuoso's killing spree for good, and Jhin is no less determined to bring ruin to those who censored him. In other words, my sort-of running storyline of vaguely-chronologically-connected pieces about (you guess it) Jhin and (mostly) Zed.
1. Noxus: Foreign Investigation

**Noxus: Foreign Investigation**

The Hunt for Jhin is the tentative name to my sort-of running storyline of vaguely-chronologically-connected pieces about (you guess it) Jhin and (mostly) Zed, with the addition of a homicidal blood mage and a yordle. I was gonna post it in Bad writing, but... well since I see Riot is far from doing anything about Jhin yet (since they are busy with Targon and stuffs), I can entertain myself with this further.

Including: the Zed lost his Shadow Arc, which is the third chapter of Bad writing collection: League of Legends. The piece may answer some confusions regarding the events happening in this storyline.

Premise: The Virtuoso, Khada Jhin, had been freed. The Master of Shadows was the only Ionian aware of this fact and was determined to track his enemy down. Meanwhile, the Matron of the Black Rose herself also saw it fit to rectify the chaos Jhin had caused within the Noxian border. As several factions began to move against him, the artist himself began coming home, to deliver the vengeance against those who incarcerated him.

* * *

Vladimir regarded the paper with subtle curiosity.

"So… the Virtuoso has struck again."

LeBlanc nodded.

"We thought he no longer had any interests within Noxus, but it seems he still does."

"And you think this concerns us because?"

"He's a wild factor. We don't know what he is or who he works for. Such is not good micromanagement, and I mean to rectify that."

Vladimir looked down at photos of artful gory scenes again.

"He's one of a kind," he commented "all the blood splashes are natural, which means he's mastered the expertise of killing the exact way he wants. Everything was done to… perfection."

He looked up again.

"And what do I have to do with this?"

"You will help me look into him."

"Ah,"

The blood mage closed the file, fingers tracing the paper's edge.

"If I may ask, don't you have far more stealthy and trustworthy agents to conduct this investigation?"

The Matron smiled

"Oh Vladimir, are you underestimating yourself?"

"I speak of the obvious truth. As someone who's good at micromanagement, I have to say this is quite a risky choice."

"I have to make do, Vladimir. There's simply no option left."

A smile crossed the Hemomancer's lips. So the Matron heard of his dealings with the Master of Shadows, huh?

"Ah, typical, you already knew."

LeBlanc smiled

"I have my doubts, but we all know I'm not in place to verify them all. Besides, you are smarter and much more cunning than I've previously thought. And trust me when I say that there have been few who could pull that off."

She pulled out a small ring with the rose insignia on it.

"This will help you avoid scrutinizing eyes. This is a suggestion, Vladimir, and is not a request. Should you feel uncomfortable…"

"I accept."

"Oh, very well." She handed him the ring. That was easy.

"This killer is special, Matron. He's too intriguing to be left in the dark, don't you think?"

"Killing people mindlessly like that isn't quite to my taste."

"You suspected he was working for someone, though."

"I told you, I have my suspicions. And you will help me verify them, in whatever way possible."

"And am I allowed to kill him?"

LeBlanc raised an eyebrow.

"It is not required, but if you do, I can certainly find a way."

Vladimir nodded.

"You don't think the Virtuoso would be happy doing these murders forever, do you?"

"No. Though someone like him getting bored isn't gonna go down quietly. Showmanship has its price." LeBlanc smiled "I've discussed it with Swain. Your position on the High Command shall be preserved until you return."

Vladimir stood up, holding the file in his hand.

"If I may," he said, bowing slightly.

"Goodnight, Vladimir. Your deed to the Rose shall be remembered."

* * *

Vladimir unlocked the door to his mansion and stepped in.

"I must praise you, Master of Shadows. So far you are the quietest and stealthiest of all intruders who'd snuck into my house."

The aforementioned man stepped out from the shadows. His eyes glowed red.

"Thank you, anyhow, for not causing any property damage," said the mage in an airy tone "I've changed the window up to five times already."

Zed smirked under his mask.

"You're late."

"I had some urgent business to run." Vladimir explained, passing by the ninja and heading to the living room "Anyway, you came. How have you been?"

"So far nothing has shown up, I suppose."

Vladimir opened the door to the living room and cast a spell. All the candles burst into light.

"I see. To what do I owe your presence today?"

He turned around to find Zed holding a set of clothes.

"You lent me these. I thought it is proper to return them."

"Ah, yes, thank you," Vlad said, taking the clothes and setting it on the nearest couch "now what may I do for you, Zed?"

Zed took off his mask. His face betrayed no emotions. Vladimir guessed he'd been perfecting such look for his whole life.

"You said Jhin killed people in your nation. I want information on those cases."

Vladimir poured tea from one of his newly acquired thermoses.

"Tea?"

"Thank you."

The caster smiled.

"You're getting good at this."

"I've had practice," said the assassin.

"I have no particular reason to deny you this piece of knowledge. You'd know what to do with it. The thing is… why?"

"Why?"

"You're no longer a protector of equilibrium, justice and all that jazz. You're the bad guy to those things now. So, why would you be interested in stopping him?"

"I am not a psychopathic murderer, Vladimir. His freedom now is my fault. I have to fix it."

Vladimir drained his cup in one go.

"I see,"

Zed stayed silent.

Vladimir produced a yellow file and handed it to him.

"If that is the case, you'd also want to know he has begun killing again. It seems his 'audience' is making a move."

The mage could see Zed's eyes slightly harden as he skimmed through the file.

"He killed those who vouched for the Ionian War to commence," Vladimir explained "if anything, I think this 'faction' is solidifying their stand, either through fear or favor of others. But you're not concerned about politics, I see. You're concerned about the killer alone."

"Are you looking into him?"

"Why yes, as for me, he's a morbidly fascinating individual. How a man can make the foundation of a whole nation stir. And my boss wants to know more about him."

"Your boss? Swain?"

"Nope, the other boss," Vladimir smiled. An idea was forming inside his head "to think about it, now, I'm not a generous person."

Zed smirked.

"That is expected. You're only that towards Lulu's wishes. I will pay the right price for the information you provided."

"You're going to let me help you."

The assassin almost gagged.

"What?"

"My boss wants me to look into him. She wants information. Finding some way to keep tabs on him, I suppose. And I figure there's no better person to acquire it from than someone who's personally been involved with him."

"Your boss obviously doesn't want him dead."

"It's not necessary, but isn't restricted. After all, if he were to die, this 'shady faction' commanding him would be uneasy. My boss would have enough _strings_ , then, to figure out the rest."

Zed stared at him.

"I can tell you what I know. I can show you more than four thousand sketches I've done of his 'masterpieces'. I can explain how he adapts his motifs into his works. But I cannot tell you who let him out or why they did it. Nor do I care about that."

"If you want to find someone who commands an Ionian sociopath, you go to Ionia. You and I have the same goal: hunting for Jhin. The purpose behind that goal isn't that important."

Vladimir poured himself another cup of tea.

"Whatever happens, tomorrow I will leave for Ionia. It will be appreciated if you consent."

"You've placed me in debt," said Zed "I cannot deny you this request."

"Well, that settles it, then," Vladimir beamed him a smile "it's a pleasure to be working with you."

"Again,"

"Again," Vladimir reaffirmed.

"Ah, how exhilarating," Zed remarked "can I have another cup?"

* * *

"I'm gonna have to borrow this set of clothes again," said Zed, after having changed into the so-called aristocratic clothing.

"Oh, keep it. I have more than I need of those. Is this your disguise?"

"Yeah, it's funny how literally no one recognizes me without the mask."

"Really?"

"Well, except for Shen, of course, but who knows what he's doing these days. He's not out on the streets looking for a sociopathic murderer, that's for damn sure."

"Isn't that a really convenient use of a mask? Had I known this I would have donned one myself."

"How are you gonna disguise yourself, by the way? You're quite a high profile Noxian. Why your boss would send you is frankly lost to me."

"She knows I'm the only one who can obtain this information for her. Sometimes you will have to make do. Worry not, I have insurance from her ladyship." Vladimir produced a ring he wore on a necklace under his shirt "this will help me avert people's attention."

He turned around and smiled to Zed.

"Come now, don't be so cautious. We are in an equal opportunity partnership. I'm not trying to extract any information from you at all."

"You say so, but now I have a member from a Noxian faction helping me fight someone from an Ionian faction. You will see it causes complications."

"I know," Vladimir said "and my words stand. I'm only tagging along until I have what I deem sufficient. Whatever you'd like to do with him is, again, not my concern."

"Fine. You can be useful. If you're finished packing, we'll go now."

* * *

So... I won't deny that I was really interested in Jhin. His release was actually the reason I started looking into Ionian lore as a whole (I used to write a lot of Noxus). The idea that Shen and Zed (obviously my favorite rivalry of the game) have a common enemy is just so awesome I really hope Rito can nail it. In the mean time, I'll interest myself with this little project.

FYI, this is not a running story in any way, shape or form, the pieces under this project has the same premise, but isn't a consistent story (though initially it may appear that way). There will be a lot of conversations about life, morals, past, science and more! Just classic me stuffs!


	2. Noxus - Ionia: Homecoming

**Noxus - Ionia: Homecoming**

* * *

Yet another night, flowers bloomed.

Yet another night, people became beautiful.

And yet, all had started to feel so routine, so repetitive.

Such is not acceptable by any artist!

The Virtuoso stood over his latest masterpiece. For once, the sheer ecstasy of a magnificent showcase was barely there.

What was this? Was his inspiration running dry?

It left the artist (killer) thinking. He had never felt so uninspired like this before. He had spent years working at the same village, meeting the same kind of people, executing his art on them, over and over. Now, he had a whole nation as his playground. Noxus offered a lot of exquisite themes he could use to create the artwork of a lifetime, and the colorful subjects for such too. He did feel a little disappointed how quaint the people of this nation treated killing, but that was where his talent mattered.

Then why was he feeling this way?

(Does he even feel?)

He wondered if it was because of his current working condition. Indeed, he was doing this for his audience, to whom he owed his current freedom. It did leave out the opportunity to decide worthy subjects himself, but Jhin prided himself on being diversely creative. After all, every creature deserved a beautiful, noteworthy death. The Virtuoso would never allow anything to die less perfect if he ever got his hand on it.

Anyone could become perfect.

Then perhaps he was bored?

That didn't sound right. He should never be bored. He couldn't be bored.

He looked at his newest creation again, and something hit him.

He was an artist. He craved for a spotlight.

(No, not like that mindless narcissist executioner/fool)

Every artist craves for the world to understand them, to appreciate them, to praise them and to love them.

Why would he be any different?

He wanted attention.

Why that never occurred to him during his time in Zhyun, in Tuula or even in Noxus, he didn't really know.

Well, better late than never, they always said.

He wanted an audience. He was not supposed to be in the shadows! That was someone else's job.

Someone else…

Ah, Zed.

Perhaps he'd changed from the Khada Jhin back then.

He had enemies now. That was bound to change things _drastically_.

He wanted revenge against those responsible for locking him away.

Kusho, Shen and Zed.

Well, perhaps not Zed? He'd wanted to kill him, but he betrayed Kusho.

No.

He killed Kusho.

(His chance of vengeance was cut short)

No one would get excluded. He could not do that.

Now that his enemies weren't even on the same side, this performance would be his finest.

His spirit elevated in excitement. Oh how he would paint the two former brothers by their own flesh and blood.

This was his design.

He had to come home.

Ionia waited.

He could feel his own longing to the land that once graced his presence, his performances.

He had to come home.

He had to pay tribute to Ionia, his very birthplace, both as a human being (hah) and an artist.

It had been a while.

He was coming home.

* * *

The audience didn't seem satisfied with this design.

"You can't return, Jhin. You know the risk. We cannot get you exposed just yet. We have plans for you."

Of course, they would all have plans. All humans thought they had plans.

They just weren't aware of it yet.

"I… am tired of all the quaint subjects you've been giving me lately. I need new _inspiration._ I will come home," he declared, softly and politely "I need to come home. Ionia is where my heart is."

"You will not return home until we…"

Shots fired.

Petals flowed.

All his audiences… no, his prospective subjects stood up at once. They were calling for something. Obviously they had a leash, a back up in case they needed to control him. The killer smiled softly. Of course they would. They weren't stupid.

And yet… was it even enough?

"I respect your decisions for the debt I owed you. But not this time, precious audience," said Jhin, reloading his gun "you are not going to stop me now. But you can still _try_."

 _Come._

He marveled at their terror. Humans never truly realize how their own greed can seal their fates.

Not that it mattered to Khada Jhin. All he needed was to stage the performance of his lifetime.

People would know the name of Khada Jhin. His artistry would live on forever.

This was his design.

* * *

His audience had consented. They were wise. They knew where the line was.

He never did.

Art has no boundaries.

For the first time in years (how many was it?), the Virtuoso had stepped a foot inside Ionia's land.

Same old people, same old scenery, and yet the nostalgia remained. It was inevitable, he reasoned. He was home, at last.

Khada Jhin smiled. He would grace his own country with the performance of a lifetime.

(He would have his revenge, against those who dared to contain his heart)

This was his design.

* * *

Hannibal reference aside, I am totally sold that Jhin having to kill predestined targets did not deter him in the slightest. I think deep down Jhin feels that beauty is equal to everyone, as he says "I will _make_ you beautiful". He thinks everyone deserves to be beautiful, and makes it his mission to make them so. Which makes him a really open-hearted and noble artist... well, that is, leaving out the horrific murdering part.


	3. Ionia: The Golden Demon

**Ionia: The Golden Demon**

Awesome, they just have to release new lore in the middle of a storyline to confuse the hell out of you. GG Riot.

* * *

"You had a secret portal installed in my house?"

"It's not an installed portal. I can use shadow portals to travel to certain checkpoints, provided I have a very pristine idea where I'm going. So… welcome to my place, I suppose."

The room they just appeared inside was a classic Ionian chamber. It was decorated simply and stacked with scrolls, paper and books.

"You read a lot, too, I suppose."

"What else do you do with time then?" Zed shot back.

Vladimir nodded in agreement.

There was a collection of shurikens and claws hung on a wall. Some inked pictures of Ionian landscape were on the other. A small table was at the middle of the room. Vladimir could see at least one board of shogi and one board of go sitting at a corner, between stacks and stacks of books. The mage smirked.

"I always thought Ionians would be stoic monks, living in practically empty rooms. You seem to have a lot running beneath the surface."

"Spare me the puns, Vladimir. Have a seat."

The mage sat down on the mattress. Zed took his seat opposite the table after a moment, with a stack of something in his hands.

"These are some of the more exemplary _works_ of Khada Jhin's career."

"Khada Jhin?"

"It means 'Golden Excellence' in the Ionian dialect. It is only a stage name, though. No one knows his real name. Not that it matters, anyway. To him the stage means everything."

Vladimir skimmed through the sketches given, each of them depicting realistic mutilations of people, with footnotes listing the themes and methods used in the assassination. They were all done by pencils.

"Did you do these?"

"Yes."

"You are a good painter."

"Probably why I was chosen on this journey," said Zed "I told you I went on a journey to capture him and stuffs, didn't I?"

"You mentioned it somewhere in the past, I think. If I may ask, you're still young?"

"I'm twenty nine."

"So, when this happened…"

"I was sixteen when the investigation began. He was captured when I was turning twenty."

"Hold up! You saw all of these things for freaking _four years_ of your teenage life?"

Zed grinned grimly.

"Oh wow, okay. I don't even know what to say anymore." Even Vladimir himself had been unsettled by these… extravagant displays of blood and body parts. He couldn't imagine what a sixteen-year-old would have felt then, looking upon these horrifying scenes while sketching them down…

Zed shrugged

"I cannot say those four years have been healthy for my mentality. Roughly a thousand had been made 'beautiful' before we could figure out his pattern."

"That is the biggest understatement of the century," said Vladimir "Are there therapists in Ionia?"

"Therapists?"

"No? Oh damn. They let children go on investigations on sociopathic artisan killers and not give them psychological consult? For shame, Ionia, for shame."

"You know what? your glossary is too much for me to handle today. Save it for another time," said Zed dismissively "These scenes depict pretty much the pattern of his killings: all life ends in four acts."

"Four acts," Vladimir repeated "but with different themes, I see."

"Yeah, that was why his pattern was so hard to read."

"The previous Noxian murders were the same."

"Yes, four people were killed, each in four strikes. And then the mutilation comes," Zed explained "oh… you have a surprisingly accurate drawing."

He was looking at the photos taken by the Noxians.

"That's a photo," Vladimir pointed out "you know, using hextech to capture light? It's called the camera. Never heard of it? You have a hextech serial killer damn it, don't act like you are 100 years ancient or something."

"In my defense, back then Jhin didn't have that fancy 'hextech' gun. You have technology that can record images?"

"Yes, it's a camera. It's been around for a while," Vladimir said "for shame, Ionia."

"Oh… that's amazing…"

Vladimir had to resist the urge to hit his face on the table.

"Never mind," he said "so you went on a four year investigation on these murders with your old master and the current Eye of Twilight and managed to find and contain him."

"He was called the Golden Demon by the residents of Zhyun, the town where he used to reside. People thought that only a true force of evil could have been able to do… these."

"I wouldn't blame them."

"Turns out, it was only a man. I truly still don't know whether to be relieved or be terrified."

If he were a man, he could be stopped. He could be killed.

And yet, if he was a man, how could he have struck terror and destruction thought only capable by demons?

"And yeah… the Golden Demon wants people dead not because he hates them, or pities them, or wants revenge. He does all that because he wants to create _art._ If that is not the most fucked up thing I've ever seen my whole life then I…"

"You and me both, Zed."

They both fell into silence.

"I should bring you something to drink," said Zed after a moment "there's sake in one of the shelves."

"I thought you don't drink."

"It was for cleaning the wounds. Back then I used to get injured a lot and often avoided the infirmary, so… if that grosses you out, though…"

"Oh no, please, I'd love to know how Ionian alcohol tastes."

As Zed was rummaging through the shelves, Vladimir spoke

"I don't think it is your fault he escaped."

"It is."

"There's nothing you could have done."

"There's _something_ I could have done. I could have just _killed him off_."

He returned to the table and all but slammed the sake bottle on its surface.

"If only that old man had let me… just one strike… and people would not have to suffer."

"But he chose to be merciful. And now that means we're here. Do you think that if you'd killed him then, the darkness he'd caused you would have gone away?"

…

"No."

Vladimir took the bottle and uncapped it.

"After the case, everything in my life went wrong. It must have been my fault, again. I always thought that having him incarcerated was worth it, but now that he's free again…"

"Ah, so strong," Vladimir said, taking a gulp from the bottle "so you pin everything on your failure?"

"Everything is my failure."

Vladimir hummed slightly.

"I see. Thank you for the insight. If I may offer my two cents…"

"Two cents?"

"Sorry, I slipped. Anyway, because you did not kill Khada Jhin back then, you are sitting here now, talking to a Noxian homicidal blood mage whom your yordle friend just happened to befriend. If I am to say, it is quite an incredible turn of events."

Zed laughed.

"Yeah, that's one of a kind."

"Our past choices make who we are today, and I don't think anyone would rather lose that to rectify something done wrong in the past. Of course, he did escape, and that's a bummer. However, if I were you, I wouldn't angst over it too much."

Something in that statement troubled him. He'd rarely let himself think, what would have happened, if he was able to kill Khada Jhin that day. He would never be able to turn back time and do what he couldn't at the time (he wasn't even allowed to kill him), might as well stop dwelling on it. But if, if only, he was able to kill him then, what would happen to him? Would everything be the way it once were?

(If that was the case, he would do anything...)

If he'd accepted that the darkness would not go away, then why would he even bother?

Perhaps, he'd never truly come to terms with the truth that, he'd forever been scarred, by the Golden Demon, by Khada Jhin. That was the point of no return for him.

Nevertheless, he _knew_ what he was gonna do now.

"But I will still kill him this time."

Ultimately, he was still right. Leaving a man like Khada Jhin alive would only backfire.

"Of course you will." Vladimir agreed "friendly reminder, there's a faction behind him now, which is obviously powerful and influential. Killing him wouldn't be as simple as it may have been some years ago."

As if politics ever bothered him anyway.

"I don't care. As long as Jhin is out there, planning his next move, they can all go to hell."

Surprisingly, Vladimir smirked.

"Now that is the way to go, isn't it?"

* * *

Edit: the Jhin's backstory is scrapped. I don't know after the extended lore was released it feels... I don't know, I just don't like it anymore, so it's removed.

If you have no idea what I was talking about, I'm sorry you had to read that.


	4. Ionia: Lulu joins the fray

**Ionia: Lulu joins the fray.**

So, Jhin's extended lore has been released, which kinda throw everything I defined out of the window. Okay, that was a bit of exaggeration, but there were things I wasn't entirely happy with. Overall it was very satisfying, I especially like the descriptions written in Jhin's perspectives. It's just that there are some details which doesn't really suit my preferences and interpretation, but that could be just personal. I will rant more about it at the end of this piece.

Also, just an FIY, that extended lore piece isn't gonna be canon in this storyline (as in the events happened within, I'm fine with their characterizations at the moment). I've been running this headcanon too long in my head for any adjustments at the moment. More details at the end of this story.

* * *

The next day was spent by the duo to look into the Virtuoso's latest whereabouts after his escape from the Tuula Prison. Apparently only Noxus had been graced by his artistic presence, which meant Jhin was doing exactly what his "audience" wanted him to.

How long that would last, though…

"Have you visited this Tuula Prison?" asked Vladimir "there might be some clues there."

Zed shook his head.

"That's too risky. Jhin's imprisonment there wasn't common knowledge. Most people only knew he was locked up somewhere. Coming to Tuula would only alert the authority and even the Kinkou."

"Hmm, that is dire. We're back to square one now."

"Vladimir, can't you just use normal words to communicate normal ideas with me?"

"Why, it is a normal word, you're just too stuck up to know."

Zed sighed.

"Anyway, Tuula is unreachable," the assassin continued "We can go to Zhyun, where Jhin used to work, but I doubt we'd find anything substantial. It was unlikely for him to go back there so soon. Then…"

At that moment, the door was slid open so abrupt that both men turned away from their work.

Lulu was standing at the doorway, looking miffed.

"There you are! I couldn't find any of you anywhere!" she accused "are you up to something without me?"

Vladimir threw Zed a sideway glance.

"How did you find me?" asked the ninja, apparently more curious than appalled. This was the base of the Order of the Shadow, after all. He was sure no yordle could just happen to wander in without him knowing.

"Oh, Bard helped me!" she stepped aside to show them a magical light tunnel and the Celestial next to it "I didn't know where you went, so I asked him. Bard knows everything!"

The two men stared at each other.

"Did she just convince a freaking Celestial to help her find her wayward friends?" Zed whispered.

Vladimir threw him a smile.

The Celestial only tipped its head, producing some lighthearted chimes. Lulu smiled to him in return as he vanished.

"So, tell me. What have you two been secretly doing behind my back?"

The Master of Shadows sighed.

"I'm tracking Jhin… the one who…"

"I know. Mr. Vlad told me."

"Of course he did. And Vlad here was ordered by his boss to look into this as well. So he kinda forced me into working with him."

"It was in exchange for the information on the Noxus side," Vladimir adhered "I am a fair man."

"Well, that's it. We've not got anything yet, so…"

"You went on an investigation without me?"

Zed raised an eyebrow.

 _Aren't you a little young to be conducting investigations on sociopathic serial killers?_

Vladimir probably shared the same sentiment.

"Uh…" he hesitated "… explicit content?"

"Explicit?"

"Jhin's murders are… cruel and grotesque by nature." Zed tried to explain "and his crime scenes are very, _very_ disturbing. Therefore, I think that…"

"So you're looking into a disturbing killer without me?"

"He's a psychopath, Lulu! You can't get involved. It's too much for you…"

"I'm completely sure his works are mentally unhealthy for you, or anyone," Vladimir explained calmly "We don't want you to be concerned."

Lulu pouted.

Vladimir smiled apologetically.

The staring intensified.

Zed raised an eyebrow.

"So…" he began, but was cut off by the yordle.

"I want to see it!"

Uh oh…

Vladimir sighed.

"You're not gonna give up until we give in, are you?"

"Why, you just have to ask, don't you?"

The blood mage took a photo of one of the crime scenes and handed it to her.

"If you insist…"

"What are you doing?" asked Zed "she's just a child!"

"Correction: she's not _just_ a child, she's the Fae Sorceress. What do you see?"

Lulu's eyes were wide in… incomprehension. She seemed as if she was trying so hard to understand yet failing.

"Why… I don't understand! Why could anyone see this as art?" she mumbled in a barely audible tone "and yet, it was meant to be a masterpiece. The execution was perfect, the theme was perfectly captured… it is perfect, and yet it is not! Why?"

"He's a psychopath!"

"But he knows it is cruel. He knows! And yet he cannot help himself! He… how can… he thinks his art is not wrong! How can such person exist?"

"You mean he's compelled to kill because he has to? Like I do?"

"No. He thinks he is only doing the _performance._ He does not kill, the performance does. Therefore, he knows it is cruel, but does it because it is not him being cruel. It is his art being cruel. And his art is not wrong. So is cruel not wrong for him?"

"It's enough, Lulu. You don't have to read into this anymore," said Vladimir "it clearly upset you."

Zed whispered "Does she…"

"Lulu sees things a tad deeper than we do. She can understand and sympathize with a lot of people. This is apparently the first she could not comprehend."

Lulu looked up

"Thank you for telling me," she said, handing back the photo.

"You're welcome, Lulu."

"I want to join you. I want to meet this Jhin."

"Lulu, I told you…"

"He can't kill me. Something like this can't kill me."

The mage looked at Zed apologetically.

"I'm sorry, I think there's not a chance you can talk her out of this."

Zed looked at the Fae Sorceress, who now had a straight and serious face.

"Lulu, I don't want you to get hurt." He said, truthfully. Khada Jhin had scarred him enough. There was no reason to have his friend concerned about him anymore.

"I'm fine." She reassured. A smile showed up on her face "Besides, someone's got to stop you before you kill yourself. I don't think Mr. Vlad is capable of that."

Vladimir gave her a knowing smile. He turned to address the assassin.

"If it's come to this, Zed, you can't deny her anymore. You must have denied a lot of people in your life, but she isn't gonna be one of them."

Zed was half tempted to smash the guy in the face. How did he know so much?

In the end, he slowly acquiesced. He would have to look after Lulu now. How hard would it be?

* * *

"So, I just want to brief you through our plans," said Zed "that is, if we do have a plan. Anyway, as of now, we know that the Virtuoso is working in Noxus. He made an appearance in Demacia, thanks to us, but it is unlikely the Demacians could identify him. I and Vladimir are going to look further into reports across the continent, since I don't think anyone could have missed out on his murders."

The blood mage nodded.

"How many Ionians are there who know about Khada Jhin?"

"Define 'know about'."

"That is, capable of identify him when met face to face, knowing about his escape, etc."

The ninja grinned.

"Khada Jhin is much more known about as a tale than a man. If it is the former criteria, then those people are gonna be me, Shen, the Ionian faction responsible for letting him out, and the staff at Tuula. If it is the latter, then it's gonna be me, the Ionian faction responsible for his escape, and the staff at Tuula. So, the only ones aware of his freedom is you, me, and the faction Jhin is working for. I'd assume your boss might have an idea or two."

"And don't forget about Sona Buvelle."

"Oh, yes, there's her. Though I hardly doubt she was aware of his true identity."

"This means that you are the only Ionian except for Jhin and his audiences who knows."

"Yes, you're finally catching up."

"Now that I think about it, it's not so compelling anymore. Are you sure this is a bright idea?"

"I am sure telling _anyone_ about this is a dumb idea."

"Says the guy who says 'Ignorance is fatal'."

Zed sighed.

"Look, most of the Ionians I know aren't gonna believe me anyway. I don't know where Shen is, not that it justifies anything, and dragging my disciples in this without any concrete lead only complicates the deal. I don't want to touch on politics just yet."

"Man, being you is kinda hard," Vladimir commented "so, three of us against the world? Wonderful, am I missing anything else?"

"Nope, you're on point. As far as we know, it is not wise to tell _anyone_ about this."

Vladimir sighed "I have a bad feeling about this."

"You brought this on yourself, pal, don't start crying about it now."

"I am so not," said Vladimir defensively "Lulu, does it work for you?"

"It's fine. Trist and Teemo are already informed I'm going to leave town for a while. They're probably used to the idea by now."

Zed still looked at Lulu warily, but he wisely chose not to comment. He'd learned a lot from his previous experiences with the yordle, that there could be no creature in Valoran more stubborn than her.

"Well, that means we should start digging," said Vladimir "have you any material for us to work on?"

The assassin smirked. Behind him, the Shadow appeared, bringing with him roughly ten stacks of paper piling up the floor. It bowed to Zed and flashed the other two a smirk before disappearing.

Vladimir looked appalled. How did he fetch such an amount of information in such a short time?

"There you go," said Zed "where should we start?"

The mage looked at Lulu, who smiled at him before grabbing some files to her own. He shook his head.

"Fair enough, this is probably gonna take a while."

* * *

So, let's have a talk about Jhin's extended lore (skip it if you are not interested; these opinions are heavily biased).

As I said, overall I liked it. The characterization of Jhin was nothing short of my expectation, and I honestly laughed out loud when his OCD was demonstrated by the fact that he had to clean his gun four times. It was really cool to take a glimpse in his perspective and see how he'd comprehend the world around him. Shen and Zed's dynamic is also what I've been hyped for, and I was really happy how well it was pulled off in the third part. There was definitely tension, passive-aggression, and my favorite part was the distance measurement between the two of them, how Zed calculated just the right length away from Shen for them to talk without the latter charging in for his life. That detail was just so subtle yet badass in my opinion; it shows how well he knows Shen, and fits my preference of Zed as a smart, observant person (most of the time).

Here comes the not-so-satisfying part, and it is mostly not concerning Jhin. Though I do hope they would tell us how the lanterns had anything to do with Zed powers (because in my headcanon Zed's power comes from a Demon, but oh well), or give us the tiniest bit of hints why he had to kill the maid and what exactly he did (morbid curiosity is bad, yo). These are some of the things that didn't agree with my thoughts:

\- Shen and Zed: While I said I liked their dynamic, I don't like what they're doing there. At least, at the moment I don't. It's really, uh, I don't know, out of nowhere, that Zed would come directly at his former-friend-enemy-whatever to ask for _assistance, right off the bat._ Personally for me, Zed's always been the type of guy who pulls things off himself, and would only resort to help when he had no other options (demonstrated in my storyline, where he owed Vladimir for the information, and is powerless because we all know how Lulu rolls). To me, he would not come looking for Shen, the last person he'd want to ally himself with, for a variety of reasons (arrogance, insecurity, etc,...), unless he was desperate and absolutely had no other means. He's also had a bit of problem with self-harm in my vision, and he wouldn't mind getting screwed over physically if it was to achieve something he deemed worthy, even death. I could see that scenario happening IF, and only IF he's tried something else and painfully failed at the attempt, the severity of which he absolutely could not bear repeating again and Shen was the only person capable of remedying that, then yes, that conversation would happen (I did consider the possibility of the team-up in future establishments, but this story is primarily focused on how Zed could get help from where he didn't expect, so...). However more lore is supposedly coming for Zed, and we could see some development in his character or the story of how he concluded that he should require Shen's help. At the moment, though, it doesn't sit well with me, so I have to leave it out.

\- Shen: I like the new Shen, no doubt. His new lore certainly gives more sense to the Balance he is upholding, though I do have a question why his Balance says that Jhin deserves to live while Zed deserves to die (actually his Dad said Jhin deserved to live, but whatever). He's also infinitely cooler in my opinion (fighting evil spirits from another dimension? It doesn't get cooler than that). There's one bit that irked me however, and it is that he utterly seems to hate Zed, and sees no possible remedy for the situation, and he struggles to contain that anger to uphold his Balance. There are two sides to this. The good part is that Shen is more human and relatable now (his father was killed), and actually has emotions and struggles with controlling them (which is a _good_ thing, he's human that way). The not-as-good part is that while Shen is becoming more sympathetic, he's become less noble. If I am correct, before the retcon, it was said that "Shen thought there might be another way to save Zed", implying that he was either too fond of his friend and/or was able to see past the flaws and mistakes Zed committed, that he was ready to forgive Zed given the chance. In the new one, however, he seems really murderous and vengeful against Zed, only calming himself because he was not _supposed to_ be vengeful. He didn't show any sign that he would forgive Zed, which, as I said, makes more sense for him as a human being, but takes away his supposed nobility the old lore demonstrated. Heck, in that story Zed seemed more noble and reasonable than Shen, and that is saying something.

\- Zed: let's admit this, Zed seems so _done_ in the story. And while I don't doubt its validity, it feels kind of... (insert vague disappointment adjective here) how he became that way without any prior development. Remember, Zed was supposed to be the one to go against the rules and defy the odds. Here, he seems somewhat defeated, and tired. Again, it makes sense, but not without development. This point is so-so with me, since more stories are supposedly coming, but you know how Riot does its lore. At the moment, I still see Zed as passionate, emotional, obstinate and still having enough fight in him to risk going against Jhin himself.

\- Jhin's murders: they are said to be horrifying, disturbing _and_ beautiful. Before I believe we all assume that Jhin's works are beautiful _in his own eyes_ only. Now we are made aware that others see it as _beautiful_ as well, and that was why his work was so electrifying, because they're horrendous but also undeniably beautiful. That doesn't sit well with me because of logic: it's either one of those two: disturbing, horrifying, grotesque, or beautiful. There's no way those two can exist at the same time in anyone's eyes, one would drown out the other (either way is fine), even if a case is to be argued that it is possible to carve beauty out of dead bodies. At least, I don't see that happening (I must live in a pretty nice world), human perception would not interpret dead bodies that way.

All in all, I like where they're going so far, but their take isn't exactly suitable to the canon I'm pursuing here, so I'm leaving the extended lore's events out.


	5. Ionia: Kashuri

**Ionia: the Kashuri Armories**

Obligatory move-the-plot-along piece. My Jhin's lore rant is even longer than the story itself. I feel sad :(

* * *

"Damn it, we have zero clues!" said Zed in frustration. They had gone no further since Lulu's arrival in finding the whereabouts of the Virtuoso. And if there was something Zed hated, it was not having an idea what his enemy was doing.

Vladimir regarded the enormous amount of paperwork they'd just worked on: murder reports, sightings and rumors. As far as they knew, he was still killing in Noxus, and you can't find someone in Noxus if they know where to hide.

"Perhaps we're taking the wrong approach to the situation," he suggested "if he's indeed backed by your government, then his whereabouts will be covered. Instead of finding the man himself, we should track something belonging to him, don't you think?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

The mage smiled

"Well, obviously seeing as you're one of the more well read citizens of Ionia and have almost zero clues how technology works, I must safely assume that it isn't that widespread at least in this nation."

Zed's eyes widened.

"Hextech," he said "screw me, why did I not think of it?"

The mage shrugged.

"Here's the catch. Hextech weaponries are manufacturer unique…"

"…no two manufacturers can craft two identical weapons, especially if they're advanced. All hextech weapon manufacturers heavily modify their works so as not to be stolen credit for them." Zed continued.

"Oh hey, you actually know something. How can you know that and not know cameras exist, again?"

"My interests are solely on weaponries," Zed replied "and so, where was his hextech produced?"

"That's the fun part. Back when Jhin first _performed_ at Noxus, we ran a test on his ammunitions. Apparently neither Zaun nor Piltover was responsible for the production of his ammo. The report is within the file I've given you."

"So you think Ionia is also producing its own hextech weaponry."

"At least, it is a possibility. We have something more concrete to follow. I'm sure not every armory in Ionia produces hextech weapons. There you go."

Zed reached for the yellow file and pulled out the mentioned report.

"What, you have a bullet in here?" he asked, holding out a nylon bag with a bullet in it.

Vladimir nodded.

"Yes. The bullet was one of the reasons we thought neither Zaun nor Piltover produced his weapons. They have not been using such outdated ammunition for 50 years. Besides, this thing has too much magic imbued. One shot might pack quite a punch, but it is hardly as efficient as modern arms. If you remember, he had to manually reload. Automatic reload has been around… well you get the idea."

"It's been around for 30 years or so, thanks." Zed said, standing up and heading to one of his shelves.

"You jerk. You know all of this already."

"If someone like you knows it, I don't see why I cannot. I told you, I'm interested in weaponry."

"Well, seeing as you are, I'd assume you have a destination in mind."

On cue, Zed returned, holding something looking like a gunblade.

"Recently these have been circulating in Ionia," said he, showing it to Vladimir "they are poorly made copies and only half as efficient, but they can do the job."

"Glad to see your nation finally catching up," Vladimir commented.

"All due to your nation and Zaun," Zed shot back "they're said to be produced in an armory in the South. Let's call Lulu. I don't think leaving her alone that long will be wise. We're going to Kashuri."

* * *

"Kashuri is a province dedicated to weaponry," Zed explained "their armories have been famous for crafting excellent quality weapons for long ago. In fact, the former Kinkou Order used to contract them for arms. However, it seems after the war they'd decided to harness the power of hextech into their weapons. The results are those poor, outdated copies I showed you back then."

Vladimir glanced around, taking in the smell of metal in the air. Kashuri seemed to be a decent town, but quite rural except for the numerous forgeries. According to Zed, all of the armories were more or less owned by the province, which resulted in little competition between merchants, as all sales must be verified by the state. Most of the forgers in the province dedicated their time into perfecting their crafts rather than trying to best each others, since the state had them covered. It was actually quite an efficient system, given the specific situations in Kashuri.

"Well, they are being quite public about hextech production, aren't they?"

"After Noxus's invasion, things changed… some people found that the old ways aren't gonna protect them from threats like Zaun and Noxus. Even the Council had to make do. I don't see how importing hextech would be a shock."

"It would be a shock if they didn't stop at simply gunblades."

"I agree. Whatever Jhin used, it must be much more disastrous than simple gunblades."

"Indeed, but it's still outdated as hell. I don't think I have seen a weapon with such recoil before. Our friend is really a _dedicated_ artist."

"You bet."

They stopped in front of the weapon showroom. For the numerous forgeries across the province, there was only one showroom available.

Zed walked up to the door and pushed it open.

"Welcome," said the shopkeeper "oh it's you again. Come in."

"It's you again?" asked Vladimir as the trio stepped inside the showroom. It was a typical weapon shop, selling mostly intricate swords, bows and arrows. Knives and shurikens (ninja stuffs) were also available for sale. Occupying one corner of the room was some models of hextech guns.

"I often come here to look at weapons," Zed replied quietly "and give them some advice on shurikens too, when I feel liberal. Now Lulu, don't touch that, it's a crossbow."

"I'm so glad you decided to come by," said the shopkeeper with a friendly tone "our shop can use your advice on the latest shuriken."

"Sure," Zed smiled easily "I'm all for it. But first, I think this model didn't work better than the last one. It's already broken."

He passed the shopkeeper the gunblade.

"Oh yes, how unfortunate," said the man, examining the product "we're still finding ways to improve its lifetime, but it seems there's nothing we could do to prevent magical decay."

Vladimir murmured something about cutting down on fuel usage, but Zed ignored him.

"It's really interesting, how you can integrate magic into arms like this," Zed commented "how are they selling?"

"They do better than we expected, actually. We're getting more orders these days."

"You take orders?"

"Of course, most hextech weapons we produced are ordered. The government has controls on what is ordered and what is not. Without a license, these gunblades are all you can have."

Vladimir and Zed exchanged glances. Certainly Jhin's audience took control over the production of these weapons.

"Do you design them yourselves, though?"

"Yes, we do, according to the customer's needs, like with normal weapons. We try to work within what we can, though. It's unfortunate, but this gunblade can no longer be salvaged. Would you like to take a look at another?"

"No, not at all, I found that technology isn't really my thing, anyway. You can have it back. It can be useful in determining its failure."

The other man nodded.

"Thank you, sir. We do keep our design blueprints, though, so it isn't necessary."

The tiniest glint occurred within Zed's eyes.

"I see," he said "well, I just wanted to tell you that. I hope I'm not disturbing anything…"

"Of course not. Will you look at our new shuriken now?"

"Sure," Zed smiled "where do you keep it?"

"Ah!" the man exclaimed "I didn't really expect you, so I kept all of them back in storage. If you'd only wait two minutes…"

Zed's smile didn't disappear until the man had disappeared at the back of the shop.

Vladimir began

"So…"

"Save it for later, Vladimir. I have two minutes to locate the blueprint."

"What blueprint?"

"Jhin's weapon's blueprint, of course. Where have you been?" said Zed "if I don't come back in time, distract him for me."

"Wait… Zed…"

The Master of Shadows had already vanished.

* * *

"Thank you very much," the shopkeeper smiled, waving at the trio as they left the showroom "your help is much appreciated by us."

"You're welcome," said Zed "goodbye."

After they'd walked away from the armories, Zed pulled out a scroll from his pocket.

"I still don't understand how you can disappear like that. It's not magic, isn't it?" asked Vladimir.

"I have no magic capabilities. You of all people should know that."

"And how did you even skim through thousands of blueprints to find what you need in two minutes?"

"You'll have to know where to look." The ninja smirked "the 'classified' portion of any archive is always painfully recognizable."

"I assume you had to break a few things to get through?"

"It'll be a long time before anyone notices something's wrong with the safes."

Vladimir shrugged.

"Well, there you have it. Kashuri produced his arms. Did the blueprint say who ordered it?"

"Zhyun's councilor," Zed replied "who I think became its governor at this point(1). This isn't going to go down nicely, however it turns out."

"We'll get him." Lulu spoke, and the two men realized she had been quiet all day long.

Both men nodded.

"We will."

The ninja put the scroll away.

"I guess we're going to visit Zhyun?" Vladimir asked.

"I'll keep an eye on Kashuri, too, in case Jhin has further needs for ammunition. But yeah, we'll pay Zhyun a visit. Man, what did I get myself into?"

* * *

Notes:

(1): Zhyun was said to have a council before the war with Noxus.


	6. Ionia: Whisper

**Ionia: Whisper**

Weapon talk! And obligatory addition to move the plot along…

* * *

"You should rest," said Zed, after making sure Lulu was fast asleep in her room.

Vladimir blinked.

"But isn't it only 9:00 in the evening? Do Ionians sleep so early?"

"Well, yeah… I don't, but they do."

"Besides, you don't think you can keep that blueprint to yourself, do you?"

The ninja sighed

"Well, at least I tried." Sharp one, the mage was.

"A for effort," said Vladimir "just remember that I do know one thing or two about humans. We have a deal, Zed. Try not to chicken out."

"Duly noted," Zed grinned. He took out the scroll and laid it on the table for the other to see. They both examined the paper in silence for a few minutes and…

"This guy's insane!" said both of them at the same time.

Vladimir looked at the other in surprise.

"You do actually know a thing or two about weapons don't you?"

"I told you, I read a lot on weapons. As far as I've known, there's not been any hextech weapon like this."

"Indeed, the technology applied to this gun is ancient. Look at the amount of magic it consumes. Modern hextech uses little bits of magic efficiently. This thing is anything but efficient. Those gunblades of Kashuri used too much, but this beast is ten times more wasteful. Jeez, they don't know how to save resources. This can legibly be called a magic gun now."

"And using that much magic… would make the gun's recoil enormous," Zed continued "let's see… Firing that gun in its full form would tear normal flesh."

"Did you just make a calculation?" asked Vladimir "probably you did. Nevertheless, the design is intriguing. It has an artistic, sorry, vibe to it. For what was available to them the Kashuri armories actually did the most magnificent job they could. This is the most efficient they can go, with the technology they currently have, to deliver such firepower."

"But its shots are slow. Back then, dodging the bullets wasn't even a problem, unless he has the element of surprise, I can't be hit. And utilizing such heavy firepower would increase the malfunction risk."

"Don't forget, he only has four bullets in his chamber, and the reload is manual. But I can see what he aims at: superior damage. Everything else was sacrificed for extreme damage."

"He thinks he outclasses everyone," Zed said "he thinks he can set the stage and have them dance to his desires and die to his desires, without any resistance."

"Makes sense; with the full weapon, he can potentially kill someone from a hundred feet away. Death should be instantaneous with the average human."

The mage paused, grabbing the bullet for comparison.

"The disgusting thing is the bullet. It creates flowers from your own flesh," he observed "no armories should be able to craft such specific and powerful bullets. I'd not like to be hit by that."

"Flowers," Zed repeated "beauty in death. His bullets are… macabre. At least… he didn't have to directly dissect them, manually. It certainly still sours your meal, though."

"You are the master of understatements, you know?" said Vladimir "how ironic."

"What is?"

"The gun's name is Whisper."

The ninja took a look at the label and couldn't help a sarcastic laugh.

"Customized Techmaturgical Magic artillery launcher set, Whisper

Ordered by: Councilor of Zhyun

Crafted by: Head forger of Kashuri, in association with the GD"

"For such a loud weapon, it has to be named Whisper."

"He is an artist, no? Perhaps when it is the loudest, his mind is at the upmost bliss?"

"The gun fires, they whisper to him like songs. What others see as loud and destructive, he would see as beautiful. Of course, Whisper was gonna be the name."

* * *

Indeed it would be named Whisper, for it brought Death.

Death was like a whisper, you may ignore it, but it would always be there.

And no one could see it coming, none but him.

"Ah, Mister…" the shopkeeper hastily said, voice quivering. He masked it with quite a professional attitude, the Virtuoso remarked. He looked around the inside of the shop: oh how quickly time had passed. His glance shifted onto the shopkeeper: it was not his intent to kill the man… yet "you've returned to Ionia! I did not expect…"

"Inspiration flowers," Jhin interrupted "I let it guide the way. Expecting it to go on any other way is foolish."

"Yes. How may I help you, sir?"

"My gun is getting clumsy. Today, it missed the mark by half an inch. And I demand perfection. Such mistake is not tolerable."

"Oh, yes. I believe it will only require a small maintenance. Relocating the accelerator will likely solve the problem."

"I trust your expert eyes on the matter," said Jhin smoothly "you may get to it."

"Of course, if you'd only allow me to fetch the tools…"

"Do what you have to do, sir."

The merchant disappeared at the back of the store. Jhin could hear the clattering of equipments. Hmm, he was rummaging for something. What might it be? He'd thought this place was more orderly. Oh, the merchant was opening a safe. Perhaps he wanted to take a look at the blueprint?

The man went back, looking especially nervous.

"Is there something wrong?" asked Jhin.

The man almost jumped.

"Ah… it's…"

"Lying to me is unwise, sir."

"I'm sure I've only misplaced it, sir…" the merchant stuttered, in obvious horror now. Jhin resisted the urge to snort: frightened subjects always unnerved him somehow. "There's no chance it can be lost."

"What is?"

"Whisper's design blueprint, sir…"

The Virtuoso's eyes widened. A second later he began laughing.

The shopkeeper physically backed away, shivering in terror.

"Oh! Zed," Jhin chuckled, feeling extremely vibrant. Whisper was singing to his ears: _Your enemy knows._

"Zed… sir?" curiosity helped overcome the fear in the merchant as he asked "it's impossible! We have nothing to do with the Master of Shadows. It must be in the vault somewhere, I'm sure…"

"Don't waste your effort," the Virtuoso said, his voice dropping low "you won't find it. Can you still take care of Whisper without it?"

"Of course, I had the design memorized. I just wanted to make sure everything was up to the quality you hoped…"

"Then have faith in yourself, sir. That seems the only option now," he smiled, putting all the parts of his arsenal down the table. Without them, he felt lighter, yet emptier, as if a vital part of him was missing.

The forger squirmed, but he was no longer on Jhin's mind. He was busy being inspired.

Zed had caught on. Even til then, he remained worthy of being Kusho's brightest student. He was blessed with aptitude, ingenuity and curiosity hardly matched by any other. Cracking open a safe and then putting it back, undoubtedly in a limited time frame, was, fairly speaking, an incredible feat. Kusho must have been proud…

He should have expected Zed to catch up. The man was still an excellent warrior. However selfish he might be, he would never let Jhin go on a rampant.

He always cared. That was his downfall.

All the better.

If Zed cared, he would suffer for it. The Virtuoso made sure that was the case.

Now, where would he plan this masterpiece? He decided, yes, it would be back at the beginning. At Zhyun. Jyom Pass. The Festival.

Zed would expect him there. He would expect him to expect him there, to be exact.

There was a lot to be done, Jhin told himself. Luckily, he had all the time he might wish for.

* * *

"He knows,"

Vladimir stared at him questioningly.

"He knows." Zed repeated in a more urgent tone.

"What happened?"

"I placed a seal on the safe containing Whisper's blueprint. Last night, it'd been opened. Armories only refer to blueprints if there's maintenance or rebuild necessary. That means…"

"Khada Jhin has returned to Ionia." Lulu finished.

"Of course, sooner or later he's bound to get bored," said Vladimir neutrally "he considers Noxus quaint, anyhow."

Zed took a long, deep breath, trying to contain the urge to lash out at something, at _anything._

"Calm down," he heard Vladimir said "your heart just picked up its pace. That can't be good."

Lulu touched his hand with a reassuring face. He nodded, shoving his emotions down. He could vent them off later somewhere else. He could not afford to lose control here, in front of the two people who were willing to support him.

"Revenge," he spoke slowly "he wants revenge, against those who incarcerated him."

"That would make quite the performance, but don't you think his audience is being a little risky?"

Zed shook his head

"If the prison couldn't stop Jhin, a number of big wigs won't be able to do anything if he actually wanted it. At least, if they value their lives." Zed added with a smirk "it seems your job is easy he's no longer working in the shadows, his sponsors can be revealed quickly. You have no reason to be here anymore."

"No!" Lulu protested "we are going to get him together! You can't go."

"That actually makes a lot of sense. But I'm staying. You heard the little devil. Besides, I can already see you're gonna be in a lot of trouble that may require my… expertise." Vladimir smiled "don't worry, Zed, I'm interested. Just so you know, if you think I'm doing this out of good will."

"You are."

"Am I?"

"Whatever, if you want to waste your time, fine."

"My pleasure,"

Lulu smiled. Her friends were getting along. That was good news. This way, Zed's darkness would not consume him. The Shadow would not be able to control him. It might be too soon for him to accept the truth, but for now it would do.

Zed looked at her, smiling in defeat.

"Does that satisfy you, Lulu?"

Lulu nodded eagerly with a huge grin.

Zed sighed.

"Well, with both of you babysitting me like this, I probably won't be doing anything anytime soon."

"On the bright side, you're probably not gonna be able to do something stupid. Sorry, not sorry, I have zero faith in your decision making capabilities."

Zed made a face.

"Ouch."

"Fair point, your poor decisions did lead to our fleeting acquaintance," said Vladimir "so one good thing did come out of it, I suppose. But Lulu is right. If you get your way every time, you're gonna die because of it. She's not letting you, and frankly, I'm not gonna, too."

"Why?"

The mage only gave him a grin.

Zed sighed. People are weird.

* * *

I really really really hate this chapter. I just can't make it better. Perhaps I will revise it someday.


	7. Ionia: Reminiscences

**Ionia: Reminiscences**

Because it is easier to talk to people you don't know.

* * *

Zed unleashed the last of his shurikens, watching them fly and hit the designed targets. The shadow counterpart's projectiles behind him stabbed into the woods with a sharp noise. Five millimeters.

The silence after the workout usually calmed him. Today, it only served to make him feel empty.

He sat down, the soft, green grass fluttered under his boots, and let his thought wander. He'd never been a fan of traditional meditation. Sitting still and closing your eyes never felt right. He was always at utmost peace when his senses were overwhelmed – by the softness of the grass, the wetness of the dew on the leaves, the warmth of the sunshine streaming down the woods, and the sounds of nature. He'd once been able to derive calmness, harmony, lying down in the middle of the woods for hours on end. Though his mind would never be able to quiet down once more, he still secretly treasured his time in the woods, every time after training, like he used to. It'd become his personal ritual. This was where he could think… he was allowed to think.

Things had… been crazy.

If he were able to come back in time to warn his old self what would happen, that Zed would have laughed. Even now, it still seemed hard to believe, the idea that Jhin would someday escape… the idea that he could have companions.

He liked Lulu, plain and simple. There was no other way to get to it. That was why he never wanted her involved. And now he'd upset her…

Vladimir… was a different story. The man was, in a way, even more baffling than the Fae Sorceress.

And Jhin…

Zed had never failed to chastise himself for his own weakness, how he was so easily fooled and trapped. It was his own doing. Had Vladimir not been there (damn), many people would have died. Well, more people than those he already failed to save.

The haunting images of the past resurfaced, and he pushed them down harshly. They could plague him in his sleep. At least let his mind stay clear when he was awake.

He could feel the Shadow sneering, but he could care less.

He had always failed.

Zed didn't notice another person's appearance until he was five feet strides away. But he had no mind to acknowledge the fact he was distracted.

"Vladimir," said Zed "stalking much?"

The Hemomancer shrugged.

"It gets boring staying inside after a while. I do like exploring new lands. You have beautiful woods."

At Zed's lack of reply, he continued, to the point.

"Besides, I figured you may want company."

"I'm sure that's what you want when you sneak into the woods." Zed said, sarcasm in his voice.

"Don't people hide to be found, Zed?"

The question stung more than he thought.

"I wouldn't say so." He replied.

Vladimir walked up and sat down next to him. He glanced around, taking in the aftermath of the training.

"How do you aim those ninja stars without seeing them?"

"Some simple calculations," said Zed "the shadow mimics my exact movements. With enough positioning and calculation, I can make it hit my desired target… with room for error five millimeters, if I don't have vision of the target."

"I'd hardly say simple calculations. That is amazing, actually." Vladimir said appreciatively "do you often train here?"

"Yeah, this is sort of my place."

"My apologies for the intrusion,"

A moment of silence passed by. Zed sighed.

"Actually, what do you want, Vladimir?"

"Ah, that is the ever baffling question, isn't it?"

"I'm serious. Why are you still here? Your quest is already covered. You have more than one might wish for. Just tell your mistress to ready her strings and wait for the right moment. You can be back at your own home right now…"

"…and attend long, boring council meetings that probably will go nowhere, read the latest books I ordered, kill some people… really, don't they sound fun?" Vladimir smirked "you assume everybody must do something for a particular gain."

"Well, duh?"

"Can't I just be here because I feel like it?"

"Then why do you feel like it? From my experience, there's no such thing as 'feel like it'. Everyone has a motive they act on."

"Wow, tough world you're living in."

"You're a Noxian. Don't tell me your fellow Noxians do things because they 'feel like it'."

"Why no, of course, though you can make an exception out of Draven… anyway, the point is, I don't have one. That is, if you do not count the occasional racking-up-some-bodies thing a design."

"Forgive me if I don't believe you. People don't do things unless it benefits them."

"Of course, but what benefits are we talking about? Is it just exploitation? If you do something you like, is that a benefit or not? Say, I like talking to Lulu. That is an action in my 'benefit', isn't it?"

"So you're saying you like my company?"

"You should rebrand yourself Master of twisting one's words," Vladimir snorted "no, we're not there yet, sorry. Yet, I am interested in your wellbeing, for several reasons, mainly because you're an interesting man. And if you'd like to talk…"

"Why would I want to talk to you?"

"Because people like talking to strangers."

"What the hell are you drinking?"

"No, I'm serious…kinda. I am completely outside of your personal life. To you, I am simply someone cooperating with you because you can provide me what I want. I'm not someone you are attached to, so you're not scared of me getting hurt, or my hurting you."

"I…"

"You're an insecure person, Zed. You're afraid of trusting people, even those you love, either because you hurt them or they hurt you. Or should I say a little bit of both?"

…

"Damn it, Vladimir, you're such a wiseass."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Zed sighed. The mage did have a point.

"I guess you're right… at some part. Back then, it seemed like no one would listen. Everyone expected you to uphold balance and act like it without any due explanation…"

"I can imagine."

"I used to train here myself when I was younger," yes, he was digressing, but he didn't mind it "when I wasn't training, I study everything around me. I know the area as well as the former Master could, every tree, every flower, every stream…"

He closed his eyes, taking in the peaceful silence. For some reason, he was talking. Crazy, right?

"And occasionally, when I sought refuge here, sometimes Shen or his father would come. They were the only ones who could find me." A saddened smile crossed his lips. Master Kusho would greet him normally, as if his running off to be alone was routine (which it kinda was), asking after his studies and attentively listened to his own childish comments. Shen on the other hand would sit with him and did whatever he'd been doing together. If there was nothing to do, they would come up with activities on their own: rock climbing, fishing, swimming, playing go, with Shen occasionally throwing in some witty statements and they would both laugh. Many things happened in these, woods, the emotions accompanying them, he could recall them so easily, anytime he allowed himself to think of them.

How far away those times were.

He could hear Vladimir chuckle slightly.

"You asked what I actually wanted, Zed?"

"Oh, you are gonna tell me now?"

"You answered my question. It's only fair I tell you mine. I want to know what I actually want."

Zed turned to give him a confused look.

"Really?"

"I was raised in a typical middle class aristocrat family. My parents… I hardly remember them. I only knew that they gave me all I needed to live, and nothing more. I was fed, raised, taught by others, and I could hardly remember what took so much of their time. After I, well, killed two boys, I did what I had to survive. I ran. I studied blood magic. I housed the Hemomancer. All of that was for survival. But now that my survival is guaranteed, what's next? What do I expect out of this life?"

"You're a lucky person."

"Oh?"

"You have everything you could have wanted. You're not bound by any regrets, wishes, or idiotic could-have-beens."

"They are not idiotic," said Vladimir firmly "they exist because you treasure what have been lost, because you truly loved them. If you do not know compassion, or love, you will never know fear, anger, hatred or regrets."

The mage smiled with a touch of melancholy.

"You should respect that. Not everyone has had the honor of having loved or being loved."

Zed blinked.

What had love done to him? Love was weakness. Without love, it could not have been that bad.

"If you don't, you can't be hurt."

"I've heard that before," Vladimir smiled "that is true, I suppose. But… I am as human as you are, Zed. at some point any human would ask that question: why am I here? So, I want to know what I want. Does that satisfy your inquiry?"

"Except it makes zero sense to me," Zed smirked.

"You've gotta have a motive, as you said, to act upon. Consider that mine. What about you?"

….

What did he want?

"Fuck you," he spoke, mostly to himself rather than the man next to him.

Vladimir laughed out in amusement.

"Don't worry, you'll figure it out."

"At the time, though, I want to stop Jhin. I must stop Jhin. At least that part is clear for me."

"You're being positive," said the caster with the slightest bit of sarcasm "that's encouraging."

The assassin took a deep breath, laying down onto the grass.

"Damn, why am I telling you all this?"

"I think I've already answered that. I am not someone you care about. It's easier to tell me things. Do you often lay down on the grass like that?"

"Haven't done it since I was fifteen or something," said Zed "it feels good. Wanna try?"

"Aren't you afraid of… insects, snakes, or dirt?"

"Ah. They won't bite."

"Okay… I would politely decline, I'm afraid."

"Are you seriously afraid of snakes and bugs, though? Just asking."

"Just asking is never just asking. And of course I am wary of those things. They make me uncomfortable. And I'm sure they _do_ bite."

…

"There, now that is a topic we're all comfortable with. If you don't like talking about personal stuffs, we can discuss universally appealing topics. Humans like talking, after all, we are a social animal. As another reader, I am open to discussions."

"That I can relate," said Zed "sharing what you want is satisfying. It's a pity all the books at the Old Order had mostly been scavenged by Shen. I still have some scrolls there yet to finish."

"Bummer, isn't it?" said Vladimir, standing up "well, I'll be leaving you alone at "your place". Thank you for listening."

Swiftly, the Hemomancer removed himself from the scene and disappeared.

Zed relaxed, closing his eyes again. Strangely enough, he was feeling peaceful once more.

* * *

Thank you for the two kind guest reviews! I'm really glad you enjoyed what I put together while waiting for Rito to make a move.


	8. Ionia: Zhyun

**Ionia: Zhyun**

Because flashbacks!

* * *

He'd once promised himself never to return to this place: to the beginning of the end.

Who would have thought, that one day, he would be walking on that same path leading to the village again?

He unconsciously let out a heavy sigh. The smell of spring penetrated his lungs, bringing him back to one simple spring morning when he first walked on this very path, with two other companions…

* * *

"This district is beautiful, isn't it?" said Shen in barely contained excitement – there was once a time when he was that young and eager.

Master Kusho nodded in agreement. He was a middle-aged man then, and even in his disguise one could read the impressive stature of a warrior. His beard was still red then – the same hair color with Shen. That was the beginning to the end.

"Don't you think it is strange, father? I don't sense any demonic aura. If the case is as severe as we were led to believe…"

"Some demons are capable of disguising their trace," said Kusho "according to Zhyun's letter, this 'Golden Demon' has been elusive for years. You must not let down your guard, both of you."

"Of course," said Shen "what do you think, Zed?"

The young Zed snapped out of his trance of thought: he was busy admiring the beauty of the flora and fauna of the land. He turned to acknowledge his friend.

"Hmm?"

"You don't seem awfully interest," said Shen curiously "I thought you'd be more excited. We've finally got a chance to see what a real demon looks like!"

Zed mumbled an incoherent reply. It wasn't exactly his first time facing a demon, but they did not know that.

"Of course I am," he said, finally. It was his first time he'd got a chance to work directly in the field, to use his talents to actually help people. No matter how much he was told this was serious business, the eagerness of youth and the excitement of an adventure simply couldn't be hindered.

It was the first, and the last time.

"Now, boys," said Master Kusho in a cautionary tone "this mission is potentially perilous. People have died. The reports have not been reassuring. Don't get your hope up. This won't be an easy case."

Indeed.

The two boys smiled back at him.

"I know, father!"

"I know, master!"

They both said, at the same time. There was still a hint of innocence and lightheartedness in their eyes, something that would never come back, along with a lot of things, once they entered this village.

Master Kusho's expression softened a little, and he nodded.

A warm spring breeze blew by, carrying with it tiny sakura pellets. Zed watched the petals dancing in the blue sky with a smile. Spring had already come.

* * *

"Zed," Vladimir called, snapping Zed out of his flashback. Memories merged with the current scene. He looked up to find Zhyun's gate waiting.

His current companions were looking at him. They did not ask what he was thinking, probably because they both had an idea or two, the brilliant people they were.

Zed let out another sigh.

"Welcome to Zhyun," he said flatly "town of the blossoms."

"So aptly named," Vladimir agreed. Indeed, this town was one with nature. Flowers were the town's main merchandise, and could be seen everywhere: on the farmsteads, by the roads, or sold by vendors. Zhyun was a surprisingly busy town despite being a rural area. The village attracted visitors all over Ionia, mainly because of the diverse and beautiful woods encompassing it. Renowned artists were known to have come here for inspirations (how ironic).

The Master of Shadows consciously controlled his every step, glancing around to make sure, despite how unlikely such a situation could happen, that Khada Jhin was not part of the crowd. The four years undercover in this town left him memorizing its every street, every corner, and every house. And his innate physiology did not allow things to be forgotten, which was really inconvenient, although he reasoned that, even without his eidetic memory, forgetting about Zhyun was impossible.

"Are you alright?" asked Lulu kindly. Zed smiled to assure her.

"It's still under control, thank you."

After more than ten years, the town didn't differ much from what he remembered. The same small, elegant wooden houses lined up alongside the main road, with vendors selling different merchandise. Rice and various flowers were cultivated on the farms a mile off North. On the opposite direction was the center of the town, where the district's council used to stand.

Lulu and Vladimir were both inspecting everything in their own curious ways, apparently very interested in the culture and lifestyle of the Ionians (or, particularly, Zhyun's Ionians). As someone who used to marvel at new things, Zed could understand their sentiments. He'd once been there, too, trying to take in everything his eyes could see.

He doubted anyone would have remembered him. After all, it had been a long time. But who knew? Maybe a boy with golden eyes was bound to leave a longer-lasting impression…

"Now that we're here," said Vladimir, satisfied with his findings for the moment "what's your plan?"

"I was planning to come threaten the governor," said Zed frankly "and try to get what he knows about the people commanding Jhin, and his whereabouts."

"What an awfully straightforward fellow you are," said Vladimir with only the slightest bit of sarcasm. Zed had to admit, in retrospect, the mage was probably right.

"Well, what's your better idea?"

"You're the master mind, Zed. I'm only the guest."

"Anyway," said Zed brusquely "that plan isn't gonna be carried out. The governor has left town a day ago."

Vladimir raised an eyebrow.

"How did you know this?"

"My ninjas do monitor the political scheme, at least the more public part," said the ninja " _and,_ I read the bulletin board at the gate."

"How observant," said the mage "so, why did you still come?"

"There's a chance Jhin might show up here," answered Zed, suddenly sober "or that he might expect me to show up here. Either way, this is our best lead."

The other two nodded. Lulu spoke up.

"For some reason people are more excited. They seem to be looking forward to something. What's the occasion?"

"It's the festival to celebrate spring," Zed replied "the Blossom Festival, it's called. The main venue is down at Jyom Pass," he pointed to the east - indeed, people seemed to be gathering there "it's a tradition of Zhyun. People would gather together to watch the blossoms under the sakura trees. There are other events held as well."

"It sounds fun! Can we go?" asked the yordle.

"If you want to. I will not be accompanying you, however."

"Why?"

"Khada Jhin used to be a theatrical stagehand. The Festival about ten years ago was when he was captured."

…

"I see."

The three stopped at a crossroad. Zed grimaced. A trip down memory lane, indeed this was.

On their right was a series of abandoned houses.

"These houses used to be resided; before the 'Golden Demon' decided to pay a visit," five months, each month a family was killed "no one dared to occupy these anymore, even after the truth about the Demon was revealed."

He stopped in front of the first house in line.

* * *

Nothing could have been as appalling as the scene unveiling before his eyes then. It was the first time he'd seen such meticulous cruelty put together.

It was the first time he saw someone murdered by Khada Jhin.

He knew he'd been shaking unconsciously. Shen was also the same. Master Kusho, the experienced warrior he was, was the only one staying calm, yet undoubtedly the Eye of Twilight was disturbed as well.

"Who could have…?" he mumbled.

The inside of the cottage was painted with blood, its intoxicating smell almost tipping Zed over. The body was mutilated beyond recognition, displayed so intentional and delicate that one might appreciate, that is, if one spoke the language. Zed never found any of his works beautiful, but a sense of wrongness always accompanied them. He only felt disgusted… horrified… sick. All appropriate responses, really.

Shen was the first to break the silence.

"There's no trace of a demon."

Master Kusho nodded. Zed grimaced. Such violence, intentional killing, and the demon left no aura behind?

"We will take a further look at the premise. Zed, can you?"

The young ninja nodded numbly. He forced down his irrational shaking and took out his sketchbook. No demon would be this meticulous. No demon would be this intentional.

His pencil hovered above the sketchpad, shaking. He swore inwardly. The murder scene had already found its way into his mind, and there it would stay forever, haunting him both in dreams and awake.

A reassuring hand grabbed his shaking one and held it gently. He had to admire Shen. Even in the most discouraging situation, Shen'd always been able to act strong.

Shen's blue eyes looked into his golden ones. He was disturbed, no doubt; the fear still visible in his eyes, but he didn't look away. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Zed finally nodded, and Shen let his hand go.

His hand was not shaking anymore.

"We'll get him," said Shen determinedly.

Zed nodded again. His pencil began to run across the paper, taking down one of the Virtuoso's canvases without him looking up a second time.

* * *

Subconsciously, his feet were taking him down the street, across every vacant house. With each house he passed, unrequited, yet inevitable memories resurfaced. He remembered each and every murder associated with each house. Reality and reminiscence seemed to be merging before his eyes.

"I hope these houses are public property," Vladimir said nonchalantly, snapping Zed out of his thoughts.

"Why do you ask?"

The mage simply pointed towards the Fae Sorceress, who was unlocking the door to one of the houses.

Zed's jaw dropped.

"Lulu, what are you doing?"

Lulu looked back.

"I'm investigating," she said, innocently "these houses are abandoned, right?"

"They are," practically, they were public property "there aren't any rotting corpses inside, if you're asking."

"That isn't necessary," said Lulu, finally casting the door open. Dust and mold filled the air "you don't have to come with me."

"But…"

"I'll look after her," said Vladimir, walking pass him to enter the house "take your time."

Zed only nodded. He watched the duo entering the houses, memories once again parallel with reality.

How many houses had they entered, how many fields of death had they witnessed, until the Virtuoso had been stopped?

(He could name a number, obviously, if he allowed himself to entertain the thought.)

And now, such monstrosity of a man was out there, once more. He'd killed again. And he wouldn't stop. All because of his failure…

Zed shook his head. He'd not allow Jhin to haunt him in his waking hours.

* * *

"That'd be the end of it," said Vladimir after the two had already taken a detour around the designated house "would you like to take a look at another?"

"It's not necessary. One prototype is enough."

Lulu had been scrutinizing every bit of detail, things he could and could not see, of the former crime scene of the Virtuoso. She conversed with Pix frequently, in a tongue he did not understand. The Fae seemed a little restless.

The young sorceress closed her eyes and sat down in the middle of the doorway.

"I enter the house. It seems to me a blank canvas – pure, yet plain, as if beckoning me to elevate it, unveiling all the textures and colors of death. It is performance time. My heart won't be contained; I won't contain it. I must be perfection."

She opened her eyes.

"It is in his design. He fully intends it, despite knowing what it is. He is happy doing it."

Vladimir didn't find it necessary to fill in his thoughts. The yordle stood up "thank you for coming with me."

The mage nodded. He hesitated before asking.

"Is he human?"

"Yes."

The statement was left hanging in the air.

Humans could be terrifying. They'd all learned.

"He knows that this is terrible," Lulu contained "but it is his happiness…"

Vladimir raised an eyebrow.

"You're not defending him, aren't you?"

"No, I'm trying to explain him."

"Don't push yourself too hard."

"Thanks."

The duo left the house to find the Master of Shadows waiting.

"How did it go?" he asked.

Lulu nodded. "I see now."

'Good," said Zed dispassionately "don't tell me. I don't need to know."

He removed himself from the tree he was leaning on and approached them, trying his best to sound a little more upbeat.

"It seems all of the houses have been undisturbed," he announced "come. I will lead you to Jyom Pass."

"Why?"

"You wanted to come to the festival, didn't you? It is quite a spectacle to behold, honestly. Jyom Pass is where the most beautiful sakura blooms."

Indeed, from afar, the pass seemed to glow warmly in a soft pink hue. The scene always seemed magical to his eyes. He'd been captivated by the flowers the first time he laid eyes on the Pass, and even now the beautiful scenery still softened him a little.

His feet had begun to walk again, almost out of its own accord, passing every house in the alley one more time. He could feel his two companions behind him, wanting to ask something but in the end deciding against it. And he was grateful they did.

They stopped in front of a flight of stairs, littered with sakura petals carried from the pass by the wind.

"Taking this stair will lead you directly down the Pass," he informed "have fun."

Lulu happily skipped down the stairs, followed by the Hemomancer. The latter turned around to address him.

"Is it alright?"

Zed nodded curtly.

He turned away from the stairs to Jyom Pass, and, unwillingly, found himself following an once familiar route, to a small cottage. Ten years ago, this was a shop selling various merchandise, run by a middle aged man with two boys…

* * *

Master Kusho had decided to hire the cottage next to Jyom Pass as their dwelling. From this small house, one could take in the whole Pass below, seeing the whole valley lit up in pink flames every time spring came. Both of his children were happy with this decision, especially Zed. whenever not working on discussing or dissecting the crime scenes, Zed would sit by the windows, glancing at the valley below, admiring whether the gentle pink hue of sakura, the lush green of the summer woods, the orange color of leaves when autumn arrived, or even the winter where everything was covered in snow. Whatever it was that greeted him when he glanced outside the window, it had always somehow brought him a sense of peace.

Yet this time, peace never came. He could not find solace in the azure blue sky, or the ever expanding valley of lush greenery beneath, or the various lives it encased.

It had been nearly four years, had it not? Four years without catching this monster. Four years of failing to save innocent people.

Four years…

For the first time in his life, he wished he could forget.

For everything he saw seemed to be blended with the color of blood, of flesh, of horrifying, brutal deaths that somehow looked beautiful…

He did not find in that any beauty. Perhaps he had always been bad at art.

But undoubtedly, such horrifying beauty had driven many insane.

He knew, that his Master and his friend had been affected as well. The stress had turned Kusho's hair white long before his age. Shen from the guy who would talk with him days on end about anything, became quiet and awkward. He could see the fatigue and desperation in everyone's face, everytime they discovered a new case, or followed a dead track.

Something in them had changed.

As for Zed, he'd lost something he could never get back.

The boy sighed, burying his face into his hand.

He wanted to go home.

He could vaguely feel Shen's presence outside his door.

"Come in, Shen. You were never the best at being quiet."

The door slid open almost noiselessly. Shen stepped in, but did not go further.

"Zed," he said difficultly "fa...master wants to see us. Are you alright?"

Zed turned to look at him.

"Are you?"

…

"No."

He turned his eyes over the valley again.

Any consolation or assurance that everything would be alright again was meaningless. They both knew better. Everything would not be the same.

Shen had approached and sat down opposite him. He looked up to face his friend, expecting what he had to say.

The former didn't close the distance between them, but he said, earnestly

"Whatever happens, I will always be here."

Somehow, those simple words had warmed his distraught heart – the promise that they'd be on the same path, no matter what.

"Thank you."

* * *

How ironic.

He was half-tempted to enter the house, but held his steps in front of the door.

He'd grudged Jhin… he'd hated the killer more than anyone in his life, how a single person could break him so thoroughly.

He turned away from the house, intending to go hiking in the woods when his feet accidently stepped on something…

A golden dagger.

His eyes widened with the slightest sense of dread.

He looked around and found, to his left, foot prints. They led up to a hill. He carefully traced his steps as he followed the prints, all his sense on high alert. After a few minutes, he reached an abandoned building. Zed blinked in surprise – he'd never heard of such a place there before.

It appeared to be a dojo, and must have been beautiful in its prime. Then, moss and flora grew all over its walls. Nevertheless, when he looked up, he could still make out the Ionian words on the sign.

Khada. Golden.

His heart must have dropped a little.

Against all odds, he stepped inside.

It was once quite a large, prosperous establishment, its size capable of holding hundreds of disciples. He could see weapons and practice dummies scattered about as he investigated the area.

How had he never known about this place?

Zed walked past the training area to approach the living quarters. He entered a garden, supposedly once lovely, well-taken-care-of, and was greeted by the first and the last thing he'd expect.

A single skull laid on the stone tea-table, its forehead removed.

He took half a step back, reaching for his weapon. The air suddenly went cold.

"Welcome, Zed," said the signature soft tone of the Virtuoso "to Khada, where art flowers."

* * *

Lulu has basically become Will Graham. Sorry not sorry.


End file.
